Moon Vowed (Mirror Lake Wolves, Book 8)

The wedding of a lifetime. A threat from the past. And a holiday season everyone is sure to remember.

Eli should be focused on holiday plans with Mina, helping his family through their first Christmas without his father, and asking for Mina’s hand in marriage. Instead, he’s struggling to vanquish old ghosts that shouldn’t be hanging around the trailer park and protect his pack.

When he learns of the spirits’ agenda, Eli must do everything in his power to make sure the newest member of the pack stays safe...even if it means risking his own life.

Moon Vowed is a Mirror Lake Wolves novella and should be read after reading books 1-7 in the series.

CHAPTER ONE

The ground was wet, causing my boots to squish in the mud. Come tonight, all of this would freeze. The roads would be icy enough to skate on. At least there was a break in the rain we’d had the last few days. I knew it wouldn’t last long, but I was glad to see it. Too much rain made me gloomy.

Mina was happy about the break in the rain too. Albeit for a different reason. She’d been dying to head to Lemonwood Farms for a Christmas tree. I tried to get her to choose one from the variety of stands parked on nearly every corner since November first, but she refused. Gran always took the family to Lemonwood Farms to pick out their perfect tree. I’d known this but foolishly thought I might be able to talk her out of it this year. I didn’t want to trek all over a mountain searching for a tree and then have to haul it to my truck.

I had no clue how her family had done it every year.

“What about this one?” Gracie pointed to a tree nearly eight feet tall. “It’s bushy and perfect.”

“If you live in a mansion maybe,” her dad said. He wove between the rows until he was standing at a tree two rows back from the one Gracie pointed out. It came to his waist and was similar to the tree size I’d always seen the Ryans bring in for the holiday. “It’s bushy but not as tall, which means it’ll fit in the trailer.”

Gracie wrinkled her nose. “It’s too short. I want something bigger this year. We have a lot to celebrate.”

Her eyes drifted to me and widened. I knew it was because she felt guilty over what she said. While her family might have a lot to celebrate this year, mine didn’t. We had someone to mourn.

I flashed her a smile that I hoped conveyed I wasn’t upset. She deserved to be happy this Christmas season; she’d gotten her mom back.

I glanced around, searching for my mom and my little brothers. I spotted Tate first. He was walking beside Mom as they climbed the hill a few yards away. Mom didn’t look as though she wanted to be here any more than I did, but she was trying to be okay for my younger brothers. If it were just Tate and I, she probably wouldn’t bother with a tree this year—or ever again—but Micah and Jonas were still young. It was important that things seemed normal for them, even without our dad around.

“It can’t be too big,” Gracie and Mina’s mom said, drawing my attention back to those standing closest to me. Angela smoothed a few strands of hair away from her face. Her eyes narrowed on a row of trees opposite her. She looked as though this were a life or death situation. I didn’t laugh at her expression or the level of seriousness emanating from her, because I assumed she was so focused on finding the perfect tree because she’d spent six years not being able to do so with her family and wanted this Christmas to be perfect. “We don’t have a lot of room.”

“What about this one?” Gran asked. She pointed to one roughly four feet tall and narrow. If I could find another similar in size for mine and Mina’s place, it would be great. It was exactly what I’d been looking for, small and manageable. “It’s about the right height and width. We can fit a good bunch of decorations on it, and it won’t take up too much space in the living room.”

Everyone made their way to her. Gracie circled the tree. When she didn’t wrinkle her nose, we all knew it was a winner.

“I like it. It’s cute,” Gracie said. She scooped up Winston and positioned him so he could sniff the tree. “What do you think, little guy? Is it the one for us?”

My gaze drifted to Mina. She was a few feet away, still scoping out trees. Her hands were crammed into the pockets of her jacket and the tip of her nose was rosy. The temperature definitely had dropped since we arrived at the farm. I moved toward her.

“Found one you like?” I asked.

She glanced at me, her hazel eyes brightening.

“Hey. No. Not really. There’s a couple I think might work for our place, but I’m still searching for one I love. What about you? Found one yet?”

“They all look good to me,” I said. It was the truth. I didn’t see the point in wasting time picking out the perfect tree when it was going to die in our living room. Seemed cruel. “Your family found one, though.”

She glanced to where her family congregated around the four-foot-tall tree Gran had found. “Cool. I like it.” She reached out and touched the tree nearest her, fingering its needles. “What about your family? Have they found one yet?”

I glanced around until I spotted them again. They hadn’t moved far from where I’d last seen them.

“Maybe. They’re checking out that one pretty hard.” I pointed to where they stood, huddled around a tree that looked decent in size. “Thank goodness I forced Tate to come with us.”

“Why?” Mina asked with a grin. She gripped my bicep and squeezed. “Afraid your muscles can’t handle chopping down three trees and hauling them into the back of a couple vehicles?”

“Ha, ha. Funny.” I flexed my muscles. “I can handle it. It’s just going to be nice to have some help.”

“Are you saying I wouldn’t be any help?”

Mina placed a hand on her hip and cocked it to the side, looking miffed and sexy as hell. I pulled her close and kissed her.

“Not in the slightest. I know you’re tough as nails.”

“That’s what I thought.” Her peppermint breath warmed my face when she talked.

She created space between us and then linked her fingers through mine. I walked with her through a row of trees, looking for the right one for our first Christmas together. I knew this was a big deal to her, so I let her pull me along and pretended to be interested.

“I think I like this one best,” she said after a few minutes passed. She released my hand and moved to stand beside one that was roughly three and a half feet tall, narrow, and had a few gaping bald spots.

“That one? Are you sure?” I asked.

We’d been out here in the cold for over an hour hunting for the perfect tree, and that was the one she picked?

“Yeah. Why not?”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Nothing. I mean it’s nice, but don’t you think it’s a little patchy?”

Mina walked around the tree to check it out from every angle. “Not all the way around. This side looks like it’s the fullest and we’re going to put it against a wall anyway. So what does it matter if it’s patchy on one side? Besides, it’s all about the decorations anyway. That’s what makes a tree beautiful.”

She did have a point.

“Okay, if this is the one you want.”

“Should I cut it down, or do you think you can handle it?” she teased.

“I’ve got it.” 

I headed to my truck for the saw. When I came back, Mina still had a shit-eating grin on her face. I liked to think it was because she enjoyed seeing me work. My swipes were clean as I made my way through the tree. It didn’t take long before the blade I was working with made it completely through the trunk. The tree toppled over, and I grabbed it by the top branches.

“Done. Let’s head to the truck and toss this in the back. Then, I’ll see if anyone else needs help.”

Mina moved to the front of the tree and grabbed its branches to help drag it to the truck.

“I’m so excited!” she gushed. “I can’t believe we picked out our first tree together. It’s our first Christmas as a couple.”

She smiled wide and I felt my insides warm. Even my wolf was excited. There was still something surreal about Mina and me finally being together. It was something I’d waited so long for, and I had a hard time somedays realizing it had happened.

Once we hoisted our tiny tree into the back of my truck, Mina and I checked on everyone else.

“Cooper seems to have cutting my family’s down under control,” Mina said, nodding to where her family stood watching as my younger brother cut their tree down for them.

“Looks like.” I shifted my gaze uphill to where my mom and other brothers stood near a tree, waiting for someone with a saw. “I think they found one.”

Mina and I started up the hill toward them. The ground was hardening due to the temperature drop. I was ready to get this tree down and toss it in the back of my dad’s old truck so we could head home. I didn’t like driving on ice. It sounded fun in theory, but in reality, it was anything but.

“Hey. Want me to cut that down for you?” I asked Mom when Mina and I made it to her and the boys.

“Yeah. I think this is the one.”

“I picked it out,” Jonas said. The excitement in his voice tugged at the edges of my heart. Hearing him happy made coming out here and freezing my ass off worth it. “Do you like it?”

“Yeah, buddy, I do. It’s a great one.” I ruffled his hair and then took a step toward the tree, ready to start sawing.

“Can I help?” Micah asked. “Cooper got to help Mina’s dad. Can I help you?”

I stood to my full height. My eyes shifted to lock with my mom’s, and she flashed me a small smile while mouthing the word, please.

“Sure. Better you than me. I’ve already cut one down today.” I passed my little brother the saw and watched as his eyes lit up. “Better yet, why don’t you and Jonas take turns, and then Tate can help if you need it?”

“Okay,” the boys said in unison.

“I’m going first though,” Micah said. “When I get tired, you can have a turn.”

“Okay,” Jonas agreed.

“Hey,” Tate said through gritted teeth. “Why’d you have to volunteer me? I was fine not helping with the manual labor part.”

“You’ll live.” I linked my fingers through Mina’s and started back down the hill. 

Within twenty minutes, all three trees were loaded and secured. I slipped into the cab of my truck and cranked the heat on high before pulling away from Lemonwood Farms.

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